Trial and Error
by chlorineobsession
Summary: What to do when the person you love has no idea how much you hurt them? Shikamaru broke up with Temari, only to find that he did it for the wrong reasons, and now he may never be able to get the real her back. ShikaTema fluffy lil thing. Rated T for language. Mentions of other pairings later on.
1. Introduction

**A/N: Hey, this is my first fan fiction, so I'm sorry if it's a bit... messy.**

 **Also,English isn't my first language, but I'm actually not that bad? I think?**

 **Disclaimer: I (sadly)don't own naruto :(**

 **Introduction**.

"I love you"

She only laughed. "sure you do"

He'd said it before, but she'd never said it back to him.

"Tem…"there was hurt in his eyes. She didn't back down. "Why are we still doing this if you don't even like me?"

She turned her back on him, allowing the sheet to slip from her shoulder, exposing a small patch of skin.

"since when don't I like you?"

oOoOoOo

He leaned against the village gate, waiting for her to show up. He was early, and his mind was set.

"Oi, crybaby" she called from a distance' "Wat'cha doing here so early? I thought we were meeting later for lunch?"

"I'm calling it off" he said, not bothering to look her in the eyes.

"Oh…"her voice was quiet "I guess we can do it later, I'm here for three days anyways"

"No, I'm calling _us_ off" and with that, Shikamaru slouched away from her, leaving the Suna nin alone and confused.


	2. Chapter 1- Lunch with the Kazekage

**A/N: ght semi just went ahead and posted this now because the intro was boring AF and I was kinda meant to entertain y'all. So here ya goooo :)**

 **Disclaimer: still ddon't own naruto...**

 **Lunch with the Kazekage**

"Shikamaru-San?" a soft voice called.

The lazy genius turned around, his eyes lowering to look at the person who'd called him.

"Kazekage-sama? What brings you here?" he asked, slightly worried. What if something happened with Temari?

"Please, no need for such formalities Shikamaru-san, call me Gaara."

Shikamaru nodded.

"I wish to speak with you about my sister" he said. "Would you care to join me for lunch?"

oOoOoOo

It had been three months since he'd dumped Temari at the gates of Konoha, and now Shikamaru was seated opposite her (terrifying) younger brother in the same restaurant they'd meant to go to.

"So…" he began.

Gaara looked up at him expectantly, waiting for him to speak.

"Temari?"Shikamaru asked.

"Ah yes," the redhead sighed. "we need to talk about that, but first I want to talk about my mother." he looked to Shikamaru for approval. He nodded, confused.

'Well you see, mother was said to be kind, and very loving," Gaara said, his voice distant. "She was young when she gave birth to elder sister. The two were close, obviously,and they loved each other very much.

Whenever Temari speaks of her, which is rarely, I can tell she loved mother a lot. But she never does admit it."

Shikamaru couldn't see where this was headed, but he was focussed on what the younger sand nin was saying.

"I heard from one of the servants that after mother died giving birth to me, when Temari was three, she refused to eat for two weeks. The doctors had to feed her through a tube for about a month and her meals were closely supervised by nurses for over a year." Gaara looked at shikamaru, trying to gauge his reaction, but empty eyes met empty.

Shikamaru was of course shocked, though he didn't let it show. He'd always known Temari as the sort of woman who would sell her soul before missing a meal, and he liked that about her. She didn't go on crazy awkward diets and drag other unfortunate people with her.

"She was five by the time she was left unsupervised again at meal times, and she didn't act up like that again." Shikamaru nodded, waiting for Gaara to make the link for him.

"When Temari is heartbroken, she does strange things. She becomes self-destructive. But yet, she'll never admit she loved mother. The three of us, Kankuro, Temari and I had a very strict upbringing. And an unhappy one. We were not our father's children, we were his weapons and his tokens. We learned jutsu before we learned the alphabet and we knew all the shinobi rules before we could do basic maths.

"We knew that showing or accepting love directly breaches shinobi law, and so none of us ever tried to find love; or give it."

"Forgive me Kazekage-sama, but what does this have to do with me?"

"Gaara, call me Gaara." the tattooed boy insisted "and there is a point to this little analogy, I'm surprised you haven't caught onto it yet,"

Gaara paused, either to catch his breath or for dramatic effect. Either way, Shikamaru found himself leaning in closer to him.

"Love is a weakness, and a woman of pride like Temari would never admit a weakness, to anyone-even herself. Shikamaru, let my sister have both her pride and love. She deserves them both.

"The main point of this, is that when Temari is heartbroken, she becomes self-destructive."

Gaara met his eyes with a stern gaze.

"My sister is heart broken"

"Gaara-San," Shikamaru said firmly. "I love your sister, I truly do, but I cannot be with a woman who doesn't love me. Believe me, I am the one who is heartbroken."

"You ended your relationship with the woman you loved?"

"I- Yeah, I did," Shikamaru frowned, realising it sounded stupid to admit it out loud.

"Why?" Gaara raised a nonexistent eyebrow.

"Because she didn't love me back,"

Gaara sighed, laying his hands on the table, one on top of the other.

"Shikamaru-San. My brother and I have the height of respect for you, which is why we did not argue the fact that you could date our sister. That respect stemmed from two things: our sister's fondness for you and your intelligence. You clearly have lost one of those things."

Shikamaru sighed, he didn't want to play these games with the Kazekage.

"I understand that Temari doesn-"

"You are a fool."

" Excuse me?"

" Do you think that my sister, the daughter and sister of two kazekages, a powerful Kunoichi and an exceptional beauty, would waste her time frequenting a man she did not care for?"

Shikamaru began to answer but was interrupted by the redhead.

"She has an immense list of potential suitors, most of which are more attractive, motivated and noble than you, but she never once implied that she was unhappy in her relationship with you."

The shadow-user didn't know what to say.

"She considers you to be one of her first ever friends."

Shikamaru sighed.

"Gaara-San, where are you going with this?"

The Kazekage looked the lazy nin in the eye.

"My sister will never say she loves you. She will never renounce her pride for you. But she cried when you cut off your ties to her."

Temari cried? Shikamaru couldn't believe it. But that wasn't reason enough for Gaara to come all the way to Konoha, was it?

" I'll say it one more time: when my sister is heartbroken, she becomes self-destructive."

It finally clicked in Shikamaru's head.

"What happened?"


	3. Chapter 2- A Trip to the Florists

**ANOTHER CHAPTER ALREADY?!**

 **A/N: hola! I'm actually so shocked people read my first few chapters, please continue! This one IS a little more fast paced than the other two, I hope you enjoy!**

Constructive **criticism is always welcome (as well as normal criticism, so I can act cool and shady as I ignore it)**

 **Also: swearing-if you don't like it, well you may not like this chapter as much, I had too much coffee and my hype is coming out in profanities.**

 **Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine, unfortunately :(**

 **A trip to the Florists**

Temari knew that something was wrong the moment she felt her hair was down.

 _What the fu...?_

She tried to open her eyes, but her muscles had become insubordinate.

Her hands didn't move, her mouth didn't open.

 _Shit._

She heard buzzing noises to her left and a loud ringing in her right ear.

She was paralyzed and panicking. She'd never felt so defenceless.

She was in utter agony.

Her brain felt as though it were on the verge of imploding and her left leg was giving her a sensation similar to that of being sliced open.

To top it all off, her hand was stinging like a bitch.

There was a sudden jab of pain in her arm and she felt something sharp being buried inside her flesh.

Great. Everything was great.

The pain subsided after a minute or so as she felt herself losing consciousness.

oOoOoOo

"Shikamaru, I swear to god, if out expect me to tolerate this kind of behaviour from you, you've got another thing coming!" Yoshino called after Shikamaru stormed in through his front door and into his room.

" You don't even have the decency to greet your own mother! What have I raised, an ape?"

" There's no point in greeting someone when I'm about to leave," the boy muttered, " What a drag,"

He threw various items of clothing into a carrier bag along with weapons (which he probably wouldn't need) and food supplies.

"Bye," he called, about to leave the house before he hesitated and said, softly," I'll be gone a month. I'm going to Suna to visit a friend."

His mother stared at him, at loss for words, his father glanced up from the document he was reading.

" Go get'er, son," he chuckled.

oOoOoOo

Ino was preparing a wedding order when a very distraught Shikamaru barged into the florists.

"Woah," She commented, glancing up from the baby's-breath she was arranging, "You look like shit, Shika,"

"Yeah, whatever," the boy hurried, "I need flowers"

"Ah, you've finally met a girl who's willing to put up with you? Let me guess, Shiho?"

"Who? Wha- No!"

Into shrugged, adding a purple orchid to the bouquet.

Shikamaru looked at the flowers in the shop and made his way towards small potted blue flowers.

"What are these?" he asked.

Ino narrowed her eyes,

"I wouldn't get those if I were you" she said, "They symbolise _malevolence_."

"Ino, they're just flowers."

"YOU CAN'T GIVE LOBELIA TO A WOMAN!" the blonde shrieked.

"Okay! Sheesh, no need to be so damned troublesome, I'm kinda in a rush, Ino."

His friend sighed,

"What's going on Shika?" she asked softly, looking at her close friend with a steady gaze.

" I'm going to visit Temari in hospital,"

Ino gasped, "What happened?!"

The lazy boy just shook his head, he knew Ino found the two of them to be close, but she had no idea they'd ever been a couple.

" I'm not sure yet, but her condition is apparently critical."

Ino gazed into Shikamaru's eyes and saw the fear he tried to hide.

"Say no more,"

oOoOoOo

Less than ten minutes later, Shikamaru was leaving Konoha holding a large bouquet of flowers made of Primroses, Bluebells and Periwinkle.

Ino refused to tell him what it meant.


	4. Chapter 3- Three Years Previously

**A/N: just a super short piece of fluff that fits in nicely :)**

 **Please rate/review if you like! All support is really appreciated**!

 **Thee** **Years** **Previously**

 _Three_ _years_ _previously_

" Woman, you're in my way,"

"Oh, am I?"

"Yes, now please move."

"Why did you call me out here if you're just going to ignore me?"

"I'm not _ignoring_ you, I'm just planning better; I like to be organized you know."

"What are you planning? A nap?"

"No troublesome woman, I'm trying to determine your possible reaction to certain approaches I may take."

"Lazy-ass, what in the world are you on about?"

"Nothing much."

"What were you saying about approaches and reaction s and stuff?"

" Doesn't matter."

"Yes, it does,"

Shikamaru finally sighed and sat up, taking the kunoichi by surprise - he usually needs to be dragged into a sitting position.

"I've made up my mind," He said.

"Oh, and are you going to have the decency to tell me, seeing as I came all the way out here to see you?"

"Nope."

"Ugh, you're an _ass_ , you know that?"

"What kind of ass? Smart-ass or bad-ass?" he smirked

"I was thinking more along the lines of dumb-ass and lazy-ass. We both know _I'm_ the bad-ass here."

"Pity troublesome-ass is too much of a mouth full…"

"OI! Stop changing the subject and tell me what you were planning!"

" Okay."

"Really?"

"Nope."

"Seriously?! You know, you are such a pain in the balls"

"I can show you though,"

Temari barely had the time to process what was said before she felt a pair of lips gently press against hers.

 _Shitshitshitshitshitshitshitwhathaveidoneshitshitshit_ … Shikamaru pannicked, feeling that Temari did not react and he was about to pull back when he felt her kiss him back.

 _Thank_ _kami_

They stayed like that for a while, under the watchful gaze of the clouds, until Temari got bored and dragged her tongue slowly across his top lip, smirking against his lips when she felt him freeze up momentarily.

He opened his mouth (he didn't know What was going on, he'd never kissed a girl before, he'd forgotten to factor in the fact that Temari had experience, and with experience came standards and expectations) and she teased him out.

She brought one arm around his neck and put the other on his chest.

It felt great. He decided to wrap an arm around her waist and he brought his other hand up to her face, stroking her cheek with his thumb.

He was about to slide his hand down to her thigh when she pulled back, grinning.

"Well well, who knew I could motivate you to sit up without uttering a single word?"

Shikamaru's face was crimson.

"T-troublesome…" he muttered, avoiding her gaze.

After a few minutes of awkward fidgeting, he looked up at her, smiling coyly.

"So, did I take the right approach?"

"Definitely **."**


	5. Chapter 4- What Now?

**A/N: I'm back aagain! *mild applause* I'm actually getting into the swing of things so the chapters should be getting more structured now, I hope you enjoy this chapter :)**

 **No, naruto is still not mine.**

 **What Now?**

She felt consciousness take control of her sleeping mind and instantly opened her eyes, or rather, tried to open her eyes, which still refused to even twitch.

 _What_ _the_ _hell_ _happened_?

Her right ear was no longer ringing, but she could still hear the buzzing to the side. The pain had almost completely eased off, but she felt… _numb_.

And not in a good way.

 _Okay_ , _think_. _Losing_ _one_ _sense_ _only_ _heightens_ _the_ _others_.

The surface she was laid on was comfortable from what she could tell, and the temperature of her surroundings was pleasant.

The place she was in smelled clean. _Fresh_.

The inside of her mouth was hot and unpleasant, so she mustn't have moved it in a while.

She heard nothing over the hum of whatever was beside her.

The needle felt as though it were still in her arm.

 _Conclusion_ : _I'm_ _in_ _hospital_.

….

 _Great_.

oOoOoOo

What should have been a three day trip ended up taking two.

Feasting on military ration pellets, Shikamaru raced through the forest and desert, hardly noticing the passing of time.

He didn't break camp or sleep, the only pauses he took were to relieve himself or to make sure the flowers were still intact. Other than that, the journey was continuous and uninterrupted.

When the gates of Suna loomed ahead in the distance, he found himself speeding up, eager to get there as quickly as possible.

The guard stamped his temporary pass that Gaara had requested and allowed the Konoha nin to enter the city.

He instantly made his way to the hospital.

oOoOoOo

She started feeling faint again ( _why_ _on_ _earth_ _am_ I _so_ _weak_?!) And allowed her mind to shut down once more, vaguely noticing the humming subside only to be replaced by several beeping noises.

oOoOoOo

"WELL WHY THE HELL NOT?!"

Shikamaru was greeted by the angry yells of the older one of Temari's brothers.

"We're sorry Kankuro-sama, but she has been brought back to intensive care after a minor inci-"

"IT TAKES MORE THAN A ' _MINOR_ _INCIDENT_ ' TO LAND MY SISTER IN INTENSIVE CARE. I _DEMAND_ TO SEE HER."

The receptionist looked as though he was on the verge of fainting.

"It would not h-help her condition at all i-if you were to visit her at the moment Kankuro-sama, she is soon to be taken to an operating th-theatre as well"

"SHE _WHAT_?!"

"Kankuro!"

Shikamaru looked over his shoulder to see Gaara walking towards the reception at a fast and steady pace. He looked at the man speaking to Kankuro, seemed to be close to tears.

"I apologise for my Brother's behavior," he bowed.

"N-Not at l Kazekage-sama!" the receptionist stammered, " I understand why he wants to see her, I apologise for any inconveniences this occurance has caused to you both on behalf of all the staff."

Gaara nodded and turned his attention to Shikamaru , who was paler than ever and looked to be on the verge of throwing up.

"Sikamaru-San, I have organised lodgings for you, you may stay here as long as you want." He said, " Seeing as you won't be able to visit Temari today, I suggest you wash up and sleep. And be sure to have a proper meal too."

Shikamaru nodded, still not feeling well.

Kankuro glared at him.

"What the fuck is _Nara_ doing here?" he sneered.

"Kankuro, there is absolutely no need for such language," the youngest snapped. "He is obviously here to visit Temari,"

"But he's the reason Temari is here in the first place!"

Gaara ignored him and continued to look at the shadow user.

"Shall I have my guards escort you to the inn?" he asked, much to Kankuro's dismay.

Shikamaru shook his head no,

"I know where it is," he said, "assumimg it's the same one as last time."

The kazekage nodded curtly before turning on his heel and walking out of the hospital.

Kankuro moved closer to Shikamaru and flexed his arm.

"Nara, if anything happens to sis, I'll snap that neck of yours cleanly in half without a moment's hesitation and feed you to my pet snake, got it?"

"I have no time for this," Shikamaru stated weakly, "see you."

He shrugged out of the hospital doors.

oOoOoOo

There was a knock on Tsunade's door.

"Come in!"

A pink haired kunoichi walked in, along with a platinum blonde.

"Sakura, Ino, come here."

The two girls approached the desk that was covered in stacks of documents and folders.

"I'm sure you've both heard that Nara has left for Sunagakure, am I correct?"

They both nod.

"Good, I expect you both to go there on a mission. Sabaku no Temari is in a critical condition and the medics there are apparently inadequate. I want you to offer your help in the Suna hospitals until you are no longer required. I would have sent Shizune, but she is already on a mission and this is of up most urgency. I expect you to be gone in two hours time. Here is your mission folder."

Sakura and Ino walked out of the Hokage-tower at top speed, urgently preparing for the trip ahead.

oOoOoOo

She lapsed in and out of consciousness regularly, hearing panicked shuffling aroung her, and more beeping and buzzing noises. Nothing comprehennsible.

…..

 _What_ _now_? She wonders.


	6. Chapter 5- It doesn't Matter Right?

**A/N:** **HELLO EARTHLINGS.**

 **I am honestly so glad I'm getting positive responses for this story, thank you so much for all the support!**

 **If there are anycharacters you want me to add, please tell me, all feedback/ suggestions are welcome.**

 **Also, I own Naruto now! Oh... wait no, I don't**

 **Enjoy!**

 **It doesn't matter... Right?**

When she felt strong enough to stay conscious for a longer period of time, she felt slightly better. Her head was no longer in any pain and she didn't feel the needle in her arm. She wasn't numb.

Her muscles still didn't let her take control though.

Being unable to use her eyes made her feel vulnerable.

 _Now, we wait_.

oOoOoOo

A knock on the door woke Shikamaru from a restless sleep.

He trudged over and opened it. It had been two days since he'd arrived and he felt constantly ill. He didn't know if it was guilt or withdrawal symptoms from having seen no clouds, but either way he felt like shit.

Gaara stood at the door, waiting patiently to be let in. When the tired looking Nara opened, he was not surprised to see that he didn't look great.

"Shikamaru-San," he said, in his usual monotonous drone, "Visits are now allowed, I hope you will forgive me for not telling you sooner, but she can only have one visit at a time."

Shikamaru nodded

"Kankuro is currently there with her. I suggest you go after him, and avoid crossing paths, if possible."

"Thankyou Kazekage-sama, I will leave shortly"

And with that, Gaara turned away and walked out of the inn.

Shikamaru had no idea what state she was in, but he didn't want Temari to see him look messy just because of her. She hated it when people fussed over her or worried about her. She'd send her weasel after him for less.

Fixing his ponytail, he putt on a clean t-shirt and took the flowers; he headed out the door.

When Ino had given them to him("on the house!" she'd snapped when he took out his wallet), she made sure to select only the ones which hadn't started blooming yet, saying that those would only end up withering before he even set eyes on Suna, he really underestimated her sometimes.

Only a few of the buds seemed even close to opening any time soon and he was glad for that, it meant that Temari could enjoy them for longer that way.

oOoOoOo

Temari had never liked it when her brothers -or anyone at all for that matter- stressed over her well being. Her health shouldn't affect them in any way, her pain shouldn't hurt them.

It was for this reason that she had an unpleasant hour that afternoon.

First Gaara came in and sat quietly beside her. At first she'd assumed it was assassin, but then he said something, and the voice was undoubtedly his.

"Please don't let yourself die." He'd said simply, before holding her hand for five minutes before leaving.

Kankuro, on the other hand, was a completely different matter.

He stormed into her ward, scaring the living daylight out of her, not that daylight mattered much, considering the fact her eyes were closed.

He started talking to her instantly, giving out to her for doing such stupid things that landed her in hospital and telling her that none of the things that happened over the last few months were her fault.

She didn't ask for those things to happen and she shouldn't have reacted in the way that she did.

But it was too late for that.

Kankuro left after a half hour as well, giving out that the visiting times were too short. He gave her hand a squeeze before standing up and leaving her alone. Even though she resented them both for being worried, she wanted her brothers by her side again.

She didn't want to be alone.

"It wasn't your fault, sis. None of it was."

oOoOoOo

"She's critical but stable," the nurse said as he escorted Shikamaru to the room Temari was in.

"She is lapsing in and out of consciousness and we're looking at hopefully-temporary full-body paralysis. We don't know if she can hear, but it is possible that she has suffered memory loss, though we cannot determine whether it is permanent or temporary this early on in her treatment. Please bear this in mind during your visit."

He stopped outside of room 74.

"She's in here sir, please bear in mind the extent of her injuries."

He bowed before leaving Shikamaru outside the ward. The konoha Jounin thanked the nurse before entering the room.

oOoOoOo

She heard the door creak open again.

 _Great_ , _just_ _as_ _I_ _started_ _feeling_ _better_.

The person sank down into the seat next to her. She heard something come in contact with a solid surface. She deduced that the person had put something on her bedside table.

A hand held hers and gripped it tightly.

The person said nothing for the first twenty five minutes of their visit. When they were about to leave, it spoke.

"Forgive me Temari, I made a mistake."

There was a pause.

"Actually, don't forgive me, that would be troublesome."

Another pause.

"I don't deserve your forgiveness."

With that, the person left.

W _ho cold that have been...?_

Something about the word troublesome sparked something within her, but she couldn't quite understand what.

oOoOoOo

When Shikamaru entered the room, he wasn't surprised to see that her hair was out of the four signature pigtails he was used to. Instead it was splayed on the pillow around her calm face. Her calm pale face.

A bandage was put around her head and was below her fringe. She wore it in the same way she wore her head protector.

Her hand was also bandaged, but less heavily. He sat next to the uninjured one and held it.

He could only stare.

He stared at the way her chest rose with every even yet shallow breath she took, how her bangs were in the way of her eyes and how fragile she looked. Vulnerable even.

After a while he looked away from her face. He saw that she had several scars as well as a scratch or two that he hadn't seen before.

Her leg was in a thicker cast and was suspended for her blood flow. There was also a plaster in the crook of her elbow for the needle her pain killers would have had to go through in liquid state.

He spoke to her after he'd taken her appearance in, but he instantly regretted the words. It would be selfish to ask for forgiveness, especially considering how serious her injuries were because of him, so he took them back and left the room. She deserved better.

oOoOoOo

"Hurry up, five-head,"

"WHAT WAS THAT, PIG?!"

"I said HURRY UP!"

Ino turned around and pretended to look terrified.

"Oh My Lord!" she shrieked, pointing at Sakura, who instantly panicked.

"What is it Ino?!" she wailed, bringing her hands up to her face. The blonde laughed,

"Oh nothing, I just saw a person attached to a forehead."

Sakura aimed a punch at her with all her strength, narrowly missing. Two trees collapsed.

"Don't piss me off," she snapped dangerously, " Next time, I won't miss,"

Ino giggled nervously,

"O-Okay, don't worry, I was just kidding, forehea- Sakura."

The pink haired girl nodded, satisfied that she'd startled her rival.

"Let's set up camp for tomorrow," She suggested, as they neared a clearing in the now-sparse forest. "We can rest up and arrive tomorrow afternoon."

Ino nodded.

oOoOoOo

 _Troublesome_ ….. _I've_ _definitely_ _heard_ that _word_ _being_ _casually_ _used_ _before_ , _but_ _where_?

She shrugged it off.

 _If I don't remember, it probably isn't important, right?_

…. _right_?


	7. Chapter 6- Three years Previously

_**A/N: Anorher little flashback, something light and fluffy before next chapter which *warning* is getting serious.**_

 _ **Thanks for all the support so far! (Keep it coming,it's great for my ego!)**_

 _ **Naruto still belongs to our lord and savior Kishimoto-Sama, not me.**_

 **Three** **years** **previously**

"You're such a _dork_!" Temari laughed, seeing Shikamaru standing in her doorway, sweating. In his hands he held a stuffed weasel.

" Now would that be a good thing or a bad thing?" he smirked, holding up the gift he'd brought her.

"I don't know…." Temari said in mock wonder. "Maybe you should convince me better…"

She wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning into him teasingly, waiting...waiting.

For someone who was generally extremely impatient, she knew how to drag out blissful torture.

He took a step away from her, holding the teddy just out of her reach. _Two can play at that game, troublesome..._

"Okay, okay, you win," she raised her hands in false surrender.

"Did Sabaku no Temari just admit defeat?" Shikamaru questioned.

" I didn't ' _admit_ _defeat_ ' I just accepted your victory,"

He chuckled and gave her the plush toy. It was big enough to hug with both arms but small enough to fit into a shopping bag. Shikamaru did not want to be seen carting around a child's toy in the foreign village. Especially not a _weasel_ one.

She buried her face in the teddy and he heard a faint, muffled noise.

"Fnkyu…"

He assumed that was a ' _thank_ - _you_ '

"Are you afraid of showing gratitude?" he smiled.

"No, but I had a feeling you'd make a big deal out of it…" Temari mumbled.

After tea and catching up, they went out to a dune on the outskirts of the city.

There were no clouds, but the sun was setting, casting soft glowing colours onto their faces, heightening the beauty they both already saw in each other.

He turned to his side and brought his hand to her face, stroking his thumb across her cheek. A habit of his she didn't seem to dislike.

"Temari," he said, his voice softer than before " please go out with me,"

The blonde snorted. " What the hell do you call _this_ , genius?"

Pointing to the both of them.

" Okay, just making sure," He smiled.

"Of what?"

" Of you thinking along the same lines as me." he shrugged. " I wanted to be sure that what we have isn't just a casual thing that you forget about when I leave."

She looked at him, a mix of annoyance and humour on her face.

" You know, if I didn't like you, I wouldn't be with you."

He saw that she seemed offended.

" I didn't mean it as an insult to you Tem…"

" _Tem_?" she interrupted, forgetting their conversation " What the hell is that about?"

"Temari has too many syllables," he muttered. " And Tem sounds cute."

She frowned.

"If you don't like it I won't use it," he shrugged " I just kinda thought it was okay to say it."

"No, no," she thought out loud, "I like it… Shika?"

He smirked.

"Sure, whatever you want."

She snuggled in close to him and buried her face in his neck mumbling 'shika' under her breath, sending shivers down his spine.

He wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her up to his eye level.

" Listen, Temari," he paused, "Tem. I love you."

She stiffened and laughed nervously.

" D-don't say such stupid things, Sh- Shika." she said nervously, distancing herself from the Konohan.

" I'm not joking, Tem, I mean it, okay?"

She stopped. All laughter gone.

"No. You don't, please don't say things like that."

"What makes you think I don't?"

"Trust me. You don't." she practically spat the words out. " You don't and you shouldn't. Okay?"

The romantic mood was well and truly dead now.

"We'll talk about this later," Shikamaru sighed, trying to salvage some of the serenity from the moments before.

" The sun is almost fully down," The tessen-wielder said softly, " We should start heading back before it gets properly cold."

Walking back towards Temari's small apartment, Shikamaru noticed that many of the villagers had had the exact same thought. The streets were practically deserted.

The silence between the couple was lingering and as obvious as a sore thumb. They were both awkward.

Sighing, Shikamaru reached sideways to take a hold of Temari's hand, resulting in a smack in the fae.

"Not in _public_ ," she snapped, regaining her stoic composure.

Good. She was herself again.

The next morning, Shikamaru got up from her couch he'd been sleeping on and made for her door, meaning to go to the Kazekage tower to deliver a scroll from Tsunade- that was the reason he was sent to Suna after all.

"Where do you think you're going… _Shika_?"

He turned around and smirked.

" Work… _Tem_ ," he answered, matching her playful tone. " Unless you have any objections, of course?"

The corners of her mouth twitched, but her mask of mock-anger was re-applied as quickly as it fell.

"Yes actually, I do,"

She stepped between him and the door, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Oh? You do?" Shikamaru murmured, putting his arm above her to lean on the door. His mouth was an inch or two from her ear, " What would that be?"

A deep blush crawled its way up her face. She couldn't look him in the eyes.

"You haven't given me a kiss goodbye, " she was pouting now, not caring for the red tint her face had assumed.

"Better fix that, shouldn't I?" Shikamaru asked, bringing his other arm to the side of her hip, caging her against the door with himself.

"Mm, yes, you should…"

He leaned in slowly, ghosting his lips across her jaw, bringing them up ever so slowly before closing in the distance…

The door swung open.

Correction: the door _would_ have swung open, had it not been supporting the weight of two people. Instead, it pushed forward forcefully, causing Shikamaru to stumble back and Temari to trip over him and fall to the ground with a thud.

"What the- NARA WHAT WERE YOU DOING TO MY SISTER?!"

A make-up wearing, hood-clad face appeared screaming from the doorway.

Shikamaru sighed,

"Nothing to be honest, I was just leaving."

The scene Kankuro saw begged to differ.

"WHY YOU LITT-"

"Kankuro." Temari didn't have to scream to get his attention.

"Listen here you son of a bastard. Same as me, but I'll use that insult against you nonetheless. Who I ' _do_ _stuff_ ' with is none of your concern. If I choose to make out with every guy I see, it won't impact your life at all, so don't even try to act protective of me, unless you want to find an explosive tag lodged so firmly up your as-"

"Okay! I get it!" Kankur hurried, not wanting his 'innocence' to be tainted by his older sister's colourful language. "Geez, I was just looking out for y- wait. DOES THAT MEAN HE WAS DOING _SOMETHING_?"

"No," Temari sighed. " We were unfortunately interrupted before I could have any fun…"

Kankuro's eyes went wider than saucers.

"Y-Y-YOU AND… AND NARA!?" he was probably waking up the entire apartment complex.

"BUT… HE'S SO…."

"I'm so…?" Shikamaru joined in, pleased that Temari hadn't denied that they were close.

"HE'S SO… _WEIRD_!"

"Kankuro, considering our family background, I don't think 'weird' is a term we can use to disregard people," Temari said, matter-of-fact.

" BUT HE'S SO _LAZY_!"

The kunoichi sighed.

"Look, don't get me wrong little bro, I love dissing, insulting, berating and bashing Shikamaru ," there was no humour in her eyes. She grabbed the puppet-boy by the front of his robes and pushed him against the wall. Her speed was incredibly fast, the poor boy hardly had time to process what she was going to do.

Oh he's in for it…

"But that's _my_ job. Not yours, not anyone else's. _Mine_."

Shikamaru snorted and couldn't help but feel flattered by his girlfriend's weird way of defending him.

"I was hoping to talk to Gaara about it today in fact, " she added, as an afterthought.

She let go of her squirming brother and walked out the door.

"Coming?" she asked Shikamaru , smiling that fantastic smile of hers.

He followed her out the door, leaving an enraged and terrified Kankuro alone in the apartment, wondering what his sister cold possibly see in that loser.

He shrugged it off, settling for ' _it's_ a _phase_ ' before leaving the complex, catching a brief glimpse of her laughing before giving him a swift peck on the lips.

 _How_ _long…_.?

 _IF_ _HE_ _GETS_ _HER_ _PREGNANT_ _I_ _SWEAR_ _I'LL_ _KILL_ _HIM!_


	8. Chapter 7- Diagnosis (part 1)

_**A/N: Yay, next chapter! I'm actually getting the hang of this, I think. I will try to make updates at regular intervals from this point forward, I'm also working on a pretty big project which I hope to start publishing by the end of next month.**_

 _ **Please continue to support!**_

 ** _My cunning plan to own Naruto has been uunsuccessful and I therefore still don't own it._**

 ** _Diagnosis part 1_**

 _Why am I still unable to move?_

 _I am Sabaku no Temari._

 _I am a tempest._

 _So why?_

 _Why_?

She heard the door open. She'd been here for long enough to know which of the three regular visitors this was. The mystery boy. He only ever speak to apologise for putting her in that state. Temari couldn't argue back, she didn't know what landed her in hospital.

Something about this person disturbed her though, why did he act so… strange?

Her last visual memory had been setting up camp during an A-rank mission before… sleeping? Fighting?

She wasn't sure.

The visitor slipped into the seat by her bed and she felt a hand cover her own. It felt familiar, like it belonged there. Like their hands had been molded to fit together.

He did this at every visit, frankly, it creeped her out, she didn't even remember the guy so they probably weren't even that close so why was he do-

 _WHAT_ _THE_ _HELL_?!

She felt a second hand on the side of her face and a thumb stroking her cheek.

 _WHO_ _DOES_ _HE_ _THINK_ _HE_ _IS_?!

It wasn't… unpleasant exactly but…. It just freaked her out.

 _I_ _seriously_ _think_ _I'm_ _missing_ _something_ …

oOoOoOo

He knew things were looking bad when two of the most terrifying women in his life walked into Temari's hospital room.

"SHIKAMARUUUU!" Ino exclaimed once she laid eyes on the lazy shinobi.

"I-Ino," he mumbled, " Why are you here?"

He nodded to Sakura as a greeting.

"It's apparently not looking good at all for Temari-sa- _OUCH_!"

She rubbed her ribs, "What the hell, billboard-brow?!"

Sakura itched her elbow where it had come in contact with Ino's ribs.

"Let me do the talking." the pink-haired kunoichi sighed.

"Shikamaru, I'm going to have to ask you to leave the room whilst Ino and I carry out some medical tests on Temari,"

"Is she okay though?"

Sakura frowned,

" I can't say for sure. Honestly, I've gone through her file and I just wouldn't be too optimistic. If she does stay alive, it is unlikely she will ever be the same as before."

Shikamaru nodded, he couldn't let his worry show. Not in front of Ino, not in front of Sakura, and certainly not in the presence of Temari.

"I'll go," he said "Can I have a copy of her file?" Sakura nodded and gave him the original, saying something about not needing it.

"It isn't confidential, but please don't lose it or give it to anyone."

Shikamaru left to sit outside room 74.

He opened the folder, eager to finally find out what had happened to the troublesome woman that had her in such a state.

oOoOoOo

 _Three_ _months_ _ago_

Temari wandered around Konoha on her own, wondering what had changed Shikamaru's mind about their relationship.

They had been together for about three years and never once had they suggested any plans to do otherwise.

She honestly did like the shadow boy, though she rarely said it.

He was lazy, chauvinistic and beyond arrogant, but she put up with it. They had a good balance between joking and flirting and any disagreements they had tended to be trivial. So why had he just ended it?

Was she not pretty enough? No, he didn't care for looks.

Was she not smart enough? Definitely not, he often told her she was one of the only intelligent members of the female species.

What then? Was she too boring? She snorted at her own absurd suggestion, if anything, the opposite would be more likely.

She shrugged it off and reported to the Hokage's offices, deciding that focussing on her mission was most important. Not some kid. What did it matter that she had something to tell him?

He didn't matter.

Not one bit.

So why did she keep thinking about it?

It was all just a bit too much for her to cope with. She was tired, stressed and hungry. Angry-hungry.

 _Nara_ , _I'll_ _kill_ _you_.

oOoOoOo

 _What_ _the_ _hell_? Sakura wondered, _That_ _isn't_ _normal…_

" Ino, get me whoever's in charge around here!" She frowned as the blonde left the room.

 _This_ _is_ _getting_ _interesting_ …

A young man with light brown hair and eyes walked in a short while later. He introduced himself as Sora Hidaka.

"Hidaka-San," Sakura said, getting straight to the point." I'd like a detailed file on Temari-san's medical history. All of it."

The man accepted and contacted the reception. He returned and told her it would be ready for her the next day. Sakura nodded and continued the examination.

oOoOoOo

Temari felt a wave of shock course through her body as she felt someone lift up her T-shirt and start prodding at her flesh. The person's fingers were light and soft, but they were clearly looking for something. She shuddered (internally) when the finger came to a halt at the edge of a deep gash on her lower abdomen that was tender to touch and very sensitive.

 _Wait_ , _since_ _when_ _have_ _I_ _got_ _a_ _scar_ _like_ _that_?

She Asked herself as the fingers traced the scar.

"As I thought," A female voice said. "Get me Shikamaru ,"

She heard a grunt of agreement, followed by light footfall.

A few moments passed before she heard the mystery boy walk in. The boy who visited her and stood with her in the shadows. So Shikamaru was his name. Strange, she didn't recognise it.

"Sakura," he said "What is it?"

" I'm going to ask you some questions Shikamaru, and I expect you to answer them honestly if you want Temari to get better. Understood?"

The boy said nothing, but Temari assumed he nodded because the woman- Sakura, was it?- said

"Good."

oOoOoOo

"How long ago did you break up with Temari-san?"

The question hit him like a tonne of bricks. Ino stared at him and Sakura simply waited for him to answer.

"W-What do you me-"

"Don't play dumb with me, you're only wasting time."

The shinobi cleared his throat.

"Three months ago,"

"That sounds about right," Sakura wrote something down in a small lavender notebook. "And how long were you together?"

"Why are you askin-"

"Answer the question," The medic-nin snapped.

"Two years and eight months," Shikamaru grumbled, ignoring Ino's offended look at having not been told.

Sakura nodded,

"Okay, please leave,"

"Wait, why was that important?" Shikamaru asked, "Will she get better?"

"I have completed her diagnosis, I can't tell you until I've consulted the head doctor though."

She smiled sadly at him before opening the door to leave the room,

"Though I'm afraid she may not." she said, looking over her shoulder and closing the door.

oOoOoOo

Ino waited outside the room as Sakura spoke with Hidaka-san, Gaara and Kankurō.

She wasn't certain what to make of the discussion she'd heard with Sakura and Shikamaru . No One knew that Temari and Shikamaru were together, so this was some interesting gossip to get a hold of, but what Sakura said about Temari's unlikely recovery worried her.

She'd never been particularly close to the Suna-nin, she always found her too masculine and distant. She was fun to be around though, and she always saw his much Shikamaru liked her.

This is why when she saw Kankurō leave the consultation room with a wide smile, she was confused as hell.

oOoOoOo

"Well, well Nara," a loud voice drawled, "Looks like you won't be getting sis back,"

Shikamaru turned to see a grinning Kankurō standing in the doorway to Temari's ward.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Sakura slid into the room and gave Shikamaru an apologetic look.

"Shikamaru, if you'd like to come into the next room with me, I can give you her diagnosis,"

He was up before she'd even finished her sentence.


	9. Chapter 8- Diagnosis (part 2)

**A/N:** **Alrighty, here's another one! Can I just say thank you so much to all the people who left reviews BTW?! This chapter is short but has a lot of things going on, so please forgive the length** °Δ°.

 **Also, I may own 64 volumes of Naruto, but I do not own the franchise etc etc.**

 **Enjoy and R &R if you like it if you like *-***

 **Diagnosis (Part 2)**

"Her most obvious issue would be her paralysis," Sakura began, the moment Shikamaru sat down in the chair opposite her.

"That part is easy to cure, I just need to repair her damaged nerve cells. The procedure would take five hours at most."

Shikamaru didn't celebrate just yet. He waited for the catch, not letting his impatience show.

"The more… _concerning_ aspect of her injuries is the damage to her brain."

She paused, unsure of how to phrase her next sentence without panicking the shinobi who sat opposite her, trying not to seem worried but failing miserably.

"At this point, I cannot determine whether this damage was caused physically or emotionally. Either way, retrieving her lost memories may be impossible, depending on how much she's forgotten. We're looking at a possible case of either retrograde, lacunar or post-traumatic amnesia. If we're really lucky, she may just have repressed memories, in which case she can just see a therapist. The others will require treatment and far more patience."

He gulped and shakily got to his feet.

"Better start waking her up," he said in a falsely light tone.

"I'm not sure you understood, she may have completely forgotten you exist."

He shrugged.

"She doesn't live for me or to be with me. I'd rather she be alive and unaware of my existence than dead."

oOoOoOo

Ino was filled in on Temari's condition and how her recovery procedure would be undergone. The operation was scheduled for the next day to give the two medics time to prepare.

Temari heard the two loud doctors babbling about her having memory loss and found herself not giving a damn. What did it matter? She'd just make new ones. She could hardly have been a different person to what she is now.

oOoOoOo

Shikamaru was not allowed to stay in the operating theatre as Ino and Sakura dealt with Temari's paralysis. He sat right outside the theatre and fidgeted in much the same way as he did when he returned from his first failed mission as chuunin.

The mission that Temari saved him from. The one that earned him the nickname "Crybaby".

The nickname that she may never use again.

"Well, Nara,"

"What is it Kankurō?" Shikamaru asked without looking up from the ground.

"I remember when I found out about you and my sister, I swore I'd kill you if you did one of two things, one, you hurt or kill her, or two, you get her pregnant." He sneered at the genius. "You got her hurt badly. You got her pregnant, and now you're worried about her wellbeing. You should really be worried about your own safety right now."

Kankurō snickered at the shocked look on Shikamaru's face.

"That's right Nara, you got her pregnant," there was no humour behind the puppeteer's eyes. He was emitting a murderous aura.

"Lucky for you, it's as dead as it gets. Otherwise, you would not be sitting there worrying about sis, you'd be lying in your coffin."

"S-she was… pregnant?" he practically choked the words out.

Kankurō nodded.

" She would have been five months in if she hadn't had a miscarriage."

"How did you know?"

"She told me. She was happy about it. At first."

Kankurō saw a plethora of emotions on the boy's face and felt himself pitying the kid. The Nara obviously loved his sister a lot, he should probably have cut him some slack, but there was no way in hell he'd forgive him for getting Temari in the state she was in.

"Why did she never tell me?"

Kankurō glared at him.

"She was _going_ to, that's why she begged Gaara to give her a mission that would take her to Konoha, but then _someone_ "his glare inintensified - "ditched her at the gates."

Wound after wound was being inflicted on him as he listened to Kankurō talk him. So much went wrong with Temari's life and it was all because of him…

"How did she miscarriage?"

"Overexertion. She becomes… self destructive when bad things happen to her. When Mum died, she stopped eating, it was terrible. You should have seen her. I was only two at the time, but I was terrified of her. I had a demon brother and a ghost sister. So when the father of her unborn child, the only 'man' she ever had time for, leaves her she decides to take her anguish out in distractions,

"She trained from dawn to dusk and she would go on all high ranking missions without taking a break. Even for someone as dedicated to being a shinobi as her, it was too much. She collapsed after six days of sleepless nights and straining activities. Landed the wrong way. She went to the clinic to get it removed in complete secrecy the moment she realised what had happened. She didn't even seem sad about it.

"She didn't stop her constant training and missions though. If anything, she became more intense."

Shikamaru said nothing, deciding instead to stare at his open palms. He had absolutely no idea…

"I messed up," he mumbled eventually.

"No shit."

They sat in silence for the remaining four hours of the operation. Those hours dragged by, like a doomed man off to slaughter.


	10. Chapter 9- Crepuscule

_**A/N: Helloooo, thanks for all the reviews/ follows/faves etc. It honestly keeps the story going! Thankyouthankyouthankyou!**_

 ** _Regular disclaimer still applies._**

 ** _Crepuscule._**

"Temari-San," a voice spoke, "My name is Haruno Sakura and I am going to explain your condition to you."

There was a pause before Sakura continued.

"You have been cured of your paralysis but you'll need to take things extremely slowly. Can you please move your fingers for me?"

Temari willed the fingers of her right hand to move, and to her delight, she felt them comply.

"Excellent, now the other hand?"

Sakura went through her hands arms and legs before she seemed satisfied with her work.

"Okay, your eyes are bandaged due to some ocular damage, we don't want to damage your retina any more than it already is, and the lighting here is very bright, we will remove the bandages later. Can you open your mouth?"

Temari opened her mouth, her patience with this chick was nearing its end, but she appreciated the work and effort she'd put in for her.

"Great, can you talk?"

"How should I know?" Temari was shocked. Her voice actually worked! Sure, it was hoarse and her words had clawed painfully up her throat, but they were audible nonetheless.

" Fantastic!" the doctor exclaimed, "I'll allow your brothers in to visit you, if you'd like?"

"Sure,"

The girl walked away, but before she left, she said "I'll be asking you a few questions later, so the visit will be short, they're desperate to see you."

The door closed and only about a minute later, two people shuffled inside.

"TEMARI, CAN YOU HEAR ME?" Kankurō's voice was the first to be heard. He was speaking in a slow and articulate tone.

"Yes Kankurō, I'm currently blind, not deaf."

"Temari, how do you feel?" Gaara spoke this time, normally.

"Considering the fact I've been incapable of seeing or moving for what feels like FOREVER I feel great right now." she felt herself smile, even though she hadn't told herself to.

After a few short minutes of fussing and complaining(on Kankurō's behalf) the two were ushered out of the room by the Sakura girl.

"Right, Temari-san, would you like to rest for a while or are you okay with me asking you questions first?"

"Ask away, ask away," Temari wiggled her fingers, her arm still too heavy and weak to wave. "I've done enough resting to last a lifetime,"

"Okay, try to answer these as best you can."

"Roger,"

oOoOoOo

Shikamaru sat in the corner of the room as Sakura asked Temari some questions. He was pleased to see her laugh and smile, even though it seemed to require a lot of energy on her behalf.

"What is your name?"

"Sabaku no Temari. I mean, you've called me that about three times now, even if I'd forgotten that, I'd remember now."

"Please just answer the questions, Temari-san, I want to sort this problem out quickly if possible,"

"Okay, okay, sorry."

"What age are you?"

Temari had to think about it.

"Um… seventeen? I think?"

Sakura bit her lip.

Shikamaru, who was actually seventeen (a month to eighteen for that matter,) was worried. Her twenty first birthday birthday was only days away.

"What is your Shinobi rank, do you know?" The pink-haired doctor continued after writing down Temari's answer.

"Chuunin," Temari grumbled.

Wrong again.

"Who are your relatives?"

"Kankurō and Gaara." she smiled just mentioning them.

"Have you any close friends?"

Temari snorted a the question.

"Do you think people want to be my friend?"

"Yes, I do." Sakura seemed offended by Temari's answer, but she quickly recomposed herself. Of course Temari would have forgotten their friendship.

"Can you tell me about yourself? Just any random things that come to mind. It doesn't matter what."

Temari considered this for a moment.

"I come from Suna," she said eventually. "My favourite colour is purple and I love weasels."

"Continue, please,"

"I love Dango and control the wind element, I wield a 30 pound iron fan and purposefully go out of my way to beat my opponents, to prove that they should never underestimate me. I've only ever been beaten once by…."

She trailed off.

"Some kid," she said eventually. "Some kid with a brain."

She was confused and Shikamaru felt dead inside. She really didn't remember him, did she?

Sakura saw his expression and turned to Temari.

"What can you tell me about that kid?"

"He was annoying," Temari said, still sounding confused. "He Was annoying and sexist. But he still beat me, so I guess I respect him. A lot."

There was a pause.

"Troublesome…." she said suddenly, her voice trailed off.

"SORRY?!" Sakura stared at her," What about 'troublesome'?"

"He said that word a lot. I mean A LOT." Temari turned her head toward Sakura, her voice suddenly serious.

"Who has visited me here?"

"I can't tell you that, I'm afraid."

"Can you at least tell me which of those questions I got wrong and what the correct answers were?"

"Sure."

Shikamaru was upset, but hopeful. He wasn't completely inexistent to her, and that was all that mattered right now.

oOoOoOo

"Your name is indeed Temari,"

She nodded, growing increasingly worried at what she may have forgotten. She wasn't an idiot, she knew that she didn't remember things, she was just concerned by how much she'd forgotten.

" You are twenty, and will be twenty one next week. Your Shinobi rank is jounin and you do have close friends, a few in fact."

Temari said nothing.

She was _twenty_?!

She Swallowed hard.

"Can I ask you some questions, Sakura-san?"

"You can, but I can't guarantee I'll answer,"

Temari thought for a moment.

"Why am I here?"

"I don't know,"

"Why is there a strange scar on my abdomen?"

She heard a shuffle in the far corner of the room.

"I can't answer that,"

"Who are my friends?"

"You have a lot," Sakura said. Temari could practically hear her smiling. "There's me for starters, we're not that close but we get in. Then there's Ino, Hinata, Tenten, Chōji, Kiba, Naruto, Shino, Neji, Rock Lee and…"

Sakura paused.

"Shikamaru. Do any of these names ring a bell?"

"Yes actually, most of them. Sakura-San, you fought against Ino-san in the chuunin exams, right? We did it the same year."

"Yes, that's right, anything else?"

"Naruto… he helped my brother. I remember him. The hinata girl fought her cousin- Neji, was it?- She seemed nice. I just don't see how we were friends. No offence."

"That's alright. Ino-san is here and she will hopefully help us restore your memories. Though it may take a while, I'll admit."

Temari nodded. I'll wait.

"I'll give you some time to yourself then, Temari-chan."

The girl stood up to leave and Temari heard another shuffle from the side of the room. She recognised those light footsteps.

"Troublesome." she muttered. She heard the footsteps falter and come to a halt. Bingo.

"Shikamaru?"

"Y-you remember?!" spluttered a voice.

"No. But it had to be you. It all added up in my head."

"oh. Okay."

"Can I ask you something?"

oOoOoOo

Shikamaru's initial shock wore off and was replaced by disappointment. Of course she wouldn't remember him.

"Sure you can."

She paused and bit her lip, her fingers twitched a little.

"Is it a good idea to get my memories back?"

"I wouldn't know," he answered guiltily. "Why would I know?"

She shrugged slightly, her eyebrows visibly frowning below her bandages.

"You struck me as knowledgeable, and you probably know me better than I do, considering the fact you've been visiting me, I can assume we're friends."

Close.

"I don't know," he said " Wait until Ino and Sakura find the cause of your amnesia and then ask them. They'd know best."

Temari nodded, and turned her head away from him.

"You should go."

"I should."

He paused again in the doorway.

"Temari?"

"Hn?"

"If you get your memories back… please don't do the same thing again."

And with that he left.

He left the stranger's room.


	11. Chapter 10- For the Best

**A/N: Hello again! It's been a month since I last updated, please forgive meh! I've had a couple of really busy weeks in school because I'm in an exam year, and I kinda need to do well in exams if I want to get a scholarship into the course I want to do in uni. Aah, the joys!**

 **Anyways, I will be updating this story monthly,and I'll try to make the chapters a bit longer to make up for the less frequent updates, this one is just a bit more intense to write than my others, which I just write during my study pauses.**

 **All the reviews have been absolutely lovely, thank you so so so much! I'll start replying to some of them soon enough, I swear, I've just made this note really long already, so I'm gonna stop now.**

 **Naruto is still not mine, please review/follow and favourite this!**

For the Best.

He stared at Temari's face as Sakura removed the bandages that covered her eyes. The room was dimmed so as not to shock her or damage her pupils.

He saw her clench her fists in anticipation, waiting for her eyes to be allowed see again.

She was also biting her lip.

The bandage unravelled and she snapped her eyes open, instantly closing them again from the sudden brightness.

"Son of a-!"

She opened them, more slowly this time, and squinted at the five people in front of her. Her eyes instantly shot to Gaara and Kankuro.

"Hey guys..." Her voice was still hoarse.

"You're... All grown up."

She looked sad. She turned to Shikamaru next, her eyebrows turned downwards.

"You look no different." She smirked at his shocked expression. "I'm kidding. You're taller. You still have that stupid hairstyle though I see."

"At least it's not four ponytails, Tem."

"...Tem?"

"Long story," Shikamaru said hurriedly, slightly embarrassed.

Temari frowned at him and turned her head to Ino and Sakura.

"Thank you both for taking care of me." She said, her head dipping in a kind-of-bow. "When came I start rehab? I want to be up and running as soon as possible."

Ino's eyes widened.

"Temari-san, you may not be able to properly walk for months, let alone train. You need to take things slowly!"

Temari froze.

"Months...?"

Ino and Sakura nodded.

"It's a long recovery process Temari-san" Sakura explained. "Your body was completely refusing to function. If you over exert yourself, it will go into shock. It's too risky to rush things."

Temari nodded slowly.

"I see... What about my memories? How long will that take?"

Sakura turned to Ino, letting the blonde take over.

"I'm going to examine that now, Temari-san. Please stay still for a moment."

Ino made a triangle shape with her two hands and focussed Temari in the middle of it.

After a few moments, she slumped into Sakura's waiting arms.

oOoOoOo

When Temari woke up again, the blonde doctor opened her eyes. She was panting heavily and she gave a sad smile to Shikamaru.

"The damage is both physical and emotional," she breathed turning to Temari with a pitiful look.

"The physically lost memories should be easy to reclaim, but the emotional ones may need rehab. I think we're looking at a case of retrograde amnesia, Sakura."

The pinkette nodded.

"We can repair the physical damage tomorrow then, Ino you can conduct whatever tests you deem necessary in the meantime."

Ino nodded and left the room, followed by Sakura.

"I'll go," said the Nara, nodding to her two brothers before leaving the room.

"No," came Gaara's voice. "We'll go,"

He motioned for kankurō to follow him, and Temari frowned as her two brothers left her all with the kid she hardly knew. Something was definitely up.

"Nara?"

"Hn?" The dark haired boy asked.

"How close were we really?"

"W-why do you ask?" The Nara stammered, twitching slightly.

"Just wondering. People are acting strangely."

Shikamaru wanted to tell her. He really did.

After he'd broken up with her, he had convinced himself that it was for the best. Both for him and for Temari, he didn't want to hold her back by being in a relationship with her even though she'd never loved him.

Looking into her eyes, he realised how badly he messed up.

She had loved him, he was just so selfish that he'd wanted to hear her say it, and now she was in this state because of him.

It was almost like he'd broken her.

oOoOoOo

"One more," he slurred, holding up his empty glass with his thumb and index.

"Sir, you've had enough," said the lady beside him, wearing close to nothing.

She was pretty.

Her eyes aren't teal, he thought to himself.

"How would _you_ know?" He snapped.

The bartender brought him another.

He didn't thank him.

He stared at the whiskey in the bottom of his glass.

It was for the best.

It was for her that he did it.

All for her.

And he fucking hated himself for loving her.

If he didn't love her, he wouldn't have ended his relationship with her.

He downed the glass in three gulps.

"Another!"

After the last call, he staggered out of the bar, pulling out a cigarette from his jacket pocket.

He hadn't realised how many he'd had until he arrived at his house and reached for another, that the new pack that he'd bought only a few hours previously was already empty.

Once he locked the door behind him, he crawled onto his sofa-not bothered to go all the way to his room- and forced himself to sleep.

He dreamt of nothing and was glad for it.

He couldn't afford to dream of her.

The only woman he'd ever loved.

oOoOoOo

Shikamaru knew he had to answer her question, he just didn't know how.

"I don't think tha-"

"JUST ANSWER MY FUCKING QUESTION!" She spat. "NO ONE IS TELLING ME ANYTHING AND I'M SO FUCKING SICK OF IT!"

She was gasping now, and she looked as though she was close to tears, but he knew she wouldn't. Temari never cried.

"Please, just tell me this one thing." Her voice was softer now. "Please."

He couldn't look her in the eyes.

"I loved you once," he lied.

"And you never loved me." A second lie.

He still loved her.

She had always loved him.

He didn't look for her reaction as he turned away and left the room, he knew he had to leave Suna, for the two of them.


	12. Chapter 11- Time To Act

_**Time To Act**_

"Aaaaand where might you be going exactly?"

"Ino, move."

"Not until you tell me why it is that you're after packing away your things in a hurry."

"Ino..."

"Don't give me any ' It's for the best ' crap. Why are you leaving Suna?"

Shikamaru thought about it for a while.

"She isn't the person I know. She doesn't know me."

Ino stared at him.

"That's just not a fact. Shikamaru, I know you love her. I always knew. I saw how you looked at her and honestly? It made me green with envy. I wanted a guy to look at me like that. I wanted a guy to zone out when he thought of me."

Her eyes softened.

"I saw that she liked you too, I just didn't think that you guys were dating or anything. Shikamaru, why did you break up with her?"

"She... I didn't think she liked me."

"..."

"..."

"You're kidding right?"

"No."

"Shika... You're an idiot. You know that?"

"If the past few days haven't convinced me of that, I'm not sure what will."

"Even Tsunade-Sama knew that she liked you. What made you think she didn't?"

"She just never said it, that's all."

Ino rolled her eyes.

"What are you? Twelve?"

Hr didn't answer.

"Shika, just because she didn't _say_ it, it doesn't mean she didn't _think_ it. We'll be getting some of her memories back tomorrow, please stick around. At least for that. The Temari you know would kick your ass for not being there for her."

Shikamaru sighed, she had a point...

"I'll stay for tomorrow."

Ino squealed in excitement.

"Great! Let's get dinner with Sakura, you can pay!"

oOoOoOo

"Who brought the flowers?"

"Nara."

"..."

"..."

"And the teddy?"

"Nara."

"..."

"..."

"And th-"

"Nara. Any gifts were from the Nara. We knew you'd beat us shitless for bringing you anything."

Temari grinned.

"You aren't wrong there, Kuro."

A pleasant silence settled upon the two.

Kankurō looked down at his hands and opened his mouth to speak.

"I missed you, sis."

"Hn..."

"I still do."

"Kankurō..."

"I really hope you'll get better soon."

"Kankurō..."

"And I'll make sure you stay safe and that you have proper meals and-" "Kankurō..." "-lots of sleep and that you take breaks-" "Kan- _kurō_..." "-from missions and that you drink plenty of flui-"

"K _-Kankurō_!"

He looked up at his sister and panicked when he saw how deathly pale her face had become. A small amount of blood was beginning to drip from her nose and her hands were twitching.

"Temari?"

"C-can I please get a b-blanket? It's s-so cold..." She chattered, shivering.

Kankurō shot to his feet and rushed out of the room to get a nurse.

When he came back, Temari was out cold. The blood wasn't gushing heavily, but it was enough to be of worry.

The nurse came in and fiddled with some of the tubes that were connected to her arms and chest.

Everything went fuzzy for him.

He'd never admit it out loud, but he cared a great deal for his sister, and seeing her like that just hurt.

He couldn't look as the nurse panicked and called for a doctor.

"The Konoha doctors are gone for dinner at a restaurant, we'll have to make do with what we have-"

"She's gone into shock-"

"How's her blood pressure-?"

"Her arm wound re opened!"

"Shit, she's gone cold-"

"How could her wound have re opened?"

Kankurō left. He'd heard enough.

oOoOoOo

"Just a salad for me, thank you." Ino batted her eyelashes at the waiter.

Sakura kicked her under the table and ordered her own meal.

"You have a boyfriend!" She snapped at a wincing Ino.

"I'm not _cheating_ on him! I was only being polite. And a little flirty..."

"Sakura, stop moaning to her and Ino, how would Sai feel if he saw you right now?"

"Indifferent probably..."

Before Shikamaru could argue with her, a figure burst into the restaurant and called through ragged breaths.

"Ha..runo...and...Yama...naka..." He gasped. "Tema...ri..."

They stood and ran out of the restaurant at top speed.

Out on the streets the four of them ran side by side.

"Can you update us on what's going on?" Sakura called to Kankurō, who was still trying to catch his breath while running.

"Not... Sure..." He struggled to get the words out. Shikamaru was shocked that a ninja of his calibre was worn out like that considering the hospital was only a half hour sprint from the restaurant they were at.

"I tried... To find you... Guys... everywhere ... Took me... Ten minutes..."

Shikamaru's eyes widened. That wasn't humanly possible.

Once they arrived at the hospital, the door was closed in Shikamaru's face as the two Konohans worked on Temari.

"What happened?"

Kankurō was still panting from his search and he looked up at Shikamaru.

"I don't know, we were just talking and then she got a nosebleed and asked for a blanket. She looked like a dead man. Dead woman," he corrected.

Gaara stormed- literally stormed- into the corridor.

"WHAT HAPPENED?!"

Shikamaru was shocked, he'd never seen Gaara lose his temper like this before, and honestly, it was terrifying.

"We don't know yet, bro."

"We don't know."

Gaara opened the door and stepped into the operating theater.

 _The perks of being the Kazekage_.

After a few minutes, he stepped out again and looked at Kankurō as he spoke softly.

"They think she may have been affected by a slow-acting poison. The Haruno girl is sorting it out." He glanced over at Shikamaru. "They're performing the memory retrieval operation at the same time. They won't be done for another while. You might want to get some rest-"

"I'll stay," Shikamaru shook his head. "I'll stay for her."

oOoOoOo

Her first thought when she opened her eyes was Shikamaru.

Where was he? Was he okay? Was he on the mission with her?

She saw that she was in the hospital in Suna, and Ino was by her side.

Why was Ino in the hospital room?

"Hi, Ino." She said as she looked at the blonde.

Ino smiled.

"Hello Temari. Mind if I ask you a few questions?"

Temari nodded.

"What age are you?"

Temari frowned as she thought about it.

"Twenty." She said after a moments hesitation. "I'm about to turn twenty."

Ino's eyebrow twitched a tiny bit, but she said nothing.

"Tell me, are you in any relationships at the moment?"

Temari blushed deeply. She and Shikamaru had agreed not to tell anyone...

"T-that's an inappropriate question, why do you need to know that?"

Ino sighed.

"Just answer me, Temari."

"I-no. I'm not."

Ino nodded slowly and kept her eyes on the other blonde.

"Give me a second."

She stood up and left the room.

A few minutes later, the door opened again and someone else walked in.

She smiled widely at him.

"Close the door," she whispered, sitting up straighter.

He gave her a worried look, but pushed the door over before making his way to her side.

"Tem, are you-?" She cut off his question by leaning forward and kissing him deeply.

"Did you miss me?"

He pulled away from her slightly.

"What age are you?" He asked.

Temari frowned, why was everyone asking her questions?

"Almost twenty, why?"

"How long have we been dating for?"

"Like, two years? Nearly? Honestly Shika, what's up with you?"

He gave her a worried look before his face crumpled and he burst into tears, wrapping his arms around her and holding her tight.

"Tem, I missed you so much..."

"Crybaby, how long was I out for?"

He shook his head and kissed her cheek.

"Too long." He whispered into her ear.

"Far too long."

* * *

 _ **A/N: He-hey! An interesting twist, if I do say so myself ;)**_

 _ **As promised, I'm picking up the pace with this one, and I will also be talking about some of yo reviews.**_

 _ **A guest asked how long I was planning to make this. Honestly, I don't think this will have any more than maybe eight chapters, starting now. So not much longer :)**_

 _ **ohud63~you have been supporting this fic constantly from the very beginning and some of my other works as well-thank you so much!**_

 _ **animegirl336~ heehee, thankyouuuuu I love so many of your works and I'm honestly so glad you like this :3**_

 _ **Please let me know what you think!**_

 _ **Follow/Fave and review! You know you want to ;)**_


	13. Chapter 12- Thinking

_**Thinking**_

It was wrong. He knew that what he was doing was wrong. It was unfair on her. She didn't have all her memories back, he avoided her questions about why she was in hospital.

She forgot about the breakup.

The pregnancy.

And he felt no guilt, even though it was wrong.

"Hey, how long are you just going to hold me for?"

He looked up at her with teary eyes.

"Tem..." He knew he had to tell her. She was still missing a year of her memories.

"Shikamaru, stop crying."

"Temari. I love you."

She looked at him blankly for a moment before taking a deep breath.

"Shika, I thought I asked you not to-"

"I don't care. I'm telling you now, I love you so much. I... I messed up, you don't know what I'm talking about, but I messed up really bad, and I thought I'd lost you forever, and that... That fear it... It made me realise just how much I love you. Temari, I love you so damn much. So much that I'd gladly give you up if that's what you wanted. I thought that that was what you did want for a while. Temari. I will never stop loving you, or caring for you. I tried, and it didn't work. I love you too much and Temari, if you ever st-"

"If you say the L word one more time, I swear to god I'll -"

"Admit that you love me?"

She froze.

"Shikamaru..."

"I'm sorry. You don't have to tell me you love me. I don't need to hear it from you to know that you at least care for me. When you want to tell me, you can."

She blushed deeply under his gaze.

"Shikamaru, you're lucky I'm bedridden."

He laughed and pressed his forehead to hers.

"I missed you so damn much, Tem."

She chuckled at him and pulled him onto the bed so that he was lying beside her with his arm wrapped tightly around her waist.

Before she could start asking questions, he kissed her deeply and brought his hand up to her face and gently stroked her cheek, savouring the feeling of her skin against his.

She smiled and deepened their kiss, pulling him closer to her and running her hand under his shirt.

He pulled away from her before he got carried away and sat back up.

When she gave him a quizzical look, he shrugged innocently.

"What if a nurse comes in?"

"Fair enough. How did I get here?"

"I can't tell you that."

She frowned.

"Sure you can, go on."

He bit his lip.

"Tem, I'm really sorry but I can't tell you anything about why you're here."

She sighed and stopped asking him.

"TEMARI!"

Kankurō barged into the room and narrowed his eyes the moment he saw Shikamaru seated on her bed.

"Get out." He snapped.

Choosing not to argue with the terrifying puppeteer, he stood up and made for the door.

"Hey, hey. Wait now! Why the hell are you telling him to leave? He has every right to stay here."

Shikamaru hesitated and shook his head.

"It's alright Tem, I have things to do anyways. I'll visit you soon."

He shut the door behind him and allowed himself to sink to the floor.

Countless emotions swirled through his system at lightning speed.

He was glad that Temari was okay, delighted that she knew and loved him, relieved that things were looking up, worried that she would remember the pregnancy and breakup, anxious for what Kankurō and Gaara would make of the situation and fearful of anything going wrong.

He missed so much from the brighter days when they were together. It was troublesome, having to sneak around and be low-key about their relationship, but that was better than having to tell everyone that they were seeing each other.

That never got them down.

Windows were easier to open than peoples' minds.

OoOoOoO

"What the actual fuck Kankurō?!"

"What age are you?"

"Oh for fuck's sake." Temari turned her head away from her little brother. If one more god damn person asked her that she'd snap.

"Temari, answer me."

"Why should I?! No one is telling me anything!"

The look in her brother's eyes was enough to tell her that the question was serious.

She sighed deeply.

"Twenty."

He nodded and covered his face with his hands.

"Do you know how long you've been in here for?"

She bit her lip in annoyance.

"Kankurō, I just woke up, how should I know?"

He groaned and left the room.

"Hey!" Temari called. "WHAT THE HELL KANKURŌ, TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON!"

When the door didn't open again, she sank back down into her mattress and tried to remember what had happened before she got knocked out.

Eventually, the door opened again and Gaara swished in, his Kage robes swirling behind him as he came to a standstill at her bedside and crossed his arms.

"Before you ask, I'm almost twenty."

He nodded and took a seat by her bedside.

"I offered to break the news to you."

She sighed in relief-finally some bloody answers!

"You are nearly twenty one. You fell during a mission and lost about a year of your memories. Haruno-san and Yamanaka-san are going to work hard on retrieving them, that means a lot of talking and story telling. They say you have retrograde amnesia."

She stared at him and tried to process the thoughts that were swirling through her head.

"When do we start?"

"Whenever you're ready, but I should warn you... There may be some things that you don't want to hear, so take it slow, okay?"

"Um... Sure?"

Seemingly satisfied with her answer, Gaara stood and patted the top of her head-something which she always did to him when he wasn't feeling well.

"I'll be there for you the whole time, Temari."

She smiled at how cute her little brother was being.

"Of course," she grinned. "Thanks Gaara."

She really loved her little brother, but she needed some time to herself after that wall of information hit her over the head, so she politely asked him to leave.

The second the door was closed, her heart started racing.

What had happened that she couldn't hear about?

Did someone close to her die?

Not that there were many she was close to, and Shikamaru Gaara and Kankurō were all fine...

Baki!

She hadn't seen him yet...

But Gaara and Kankurō would definitely have told her, right? She was the closest one to Baki out of all of them, they wouldn't withhold that kind of information from her, would they?

What if he died and it was her fault?

Or what if he tried to kill her in a plot against the state?

Or what if sh-

A knock on the door startled her.

"Come in!" She called, wiping sweat off from her brow.

The door opened and the pink haired Konoha nin whom she had grown fairly fond of over the years walked in.

"Hello Temari, how are you feeling?"

"Great, thanks Sakura."

The pink haired girl beamed.

"That's wonderful, Gaara told you about your memory loss?"

Temari nodded.

"Um... When would you like to begin the memory retrieval process?"

"As soon as possible, if that's alright."

Sakura smiled, holding Temari's hand.

The smile didn't reach her eyes.

"Of course, we can begin tomorrow if you'd like."

"That would be wonderful, thank you Sakura. For everything."

The smile finally reached the pinkette's eyes a she squeezed the hand she was holding.

"I would never give up on a friend, Temari."

She left shortly afterwards and the hospital visiting times had ended, leaving Temari alone in the room to think.

To think the most terrifying of thoughts.

OoOoOoO

 _ **A/N : This is being posted a lil earlier than it should be, but my exams are starting in a couple of days so I'm just getting this short chapter up before that, I'll post another short-ish one after the winter exams. Please follow/fave/teview!**_

 _ **~Lee**_


	14. Read me!

**[** ** _AN]_** _hey hi hello greetings etc, ChlorineObsession here ?_

 _I'm sorry for making an entire chapter dedicated to an authors note. I would only read this if you are genuinely interested in my fics because it's kinda long and probably boring *but* You might be interested by this so here we go!_

 _I have spent the past few weeks wondering whether or not to just delete the stories that I haven't completed yet along with possibly disabling my account. This isn't because of anything specific, I just haven't been feeling particularly capable of finishing a lot of the works I'd started, and I also have exams in June which are pretty much gonna decide whether or not I'm getting the scholarship I've been working towards for the past 3 years, so I suppose I've been rather busy._

 ** _However._**

 _Writing does bring me a lot of joy, and I've begun writing for a different fandom on a different site. I've made some incredible friends through this fandom and it made me realise how detached this community is, which is why I've decided that instead of just scrapping what I've got so far, I want to try improving it instead._

 _After my exams in June, I will begin working on remastered versions of all the fics I decide to continue with, as well as reaching out to people for support with these fics._

 ** _This is where you come in!_**

 _I'll be looking for some help and outside opinions regarding how I change my stories and perhaps start some new ones. This will be in the form of editors, beta readers and just anyone willing to listen to my rambling._

 _For this, I'm hoping to set up a discord server. For anyone who doesn't use discord, it's an app usually used for gamers as far as I'm aware, but it's just really handy for communicating/planning and forming a community._

 _If you're interested in giving a hand, meeting other people within the fandom and also getting support for your own fics, hit me up in the comments or in pms. If I get enough interest, I'll launch this initiative and we can help boost this (kinda withering) community._

 _I'll add in more details if I see it fit to do so!_

 _Let me know what you think,_

 _~Lee_


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